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WNBA Suspends Alyssa Thomas for Throat Punch on Clark

6/27/2026

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Summary

Story summary

The WNBA upgraded a missed call to a Flagrant-2 foul and suspended forward Alyssa Thomas.
Thomas was suspended after her fist struck Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark’s throat in Indianapolis on June 24, causing Clark to miss the June 27 game.
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White called the play a “cheap shot,” demanded consistent officiating, and president Kelly Krauskopf thanked the league for its review.

History

Historical Context

After the 2004 NBA “Malice at the Palace”—where Ron Artest received an 86-game suspension and Commissioner David Stern imposed a $5 million fine and new flagrant-foul rules—the league tightened discipline. A similar 2008 WNBA Sparks–Shock fight at the same arena reinforced the precedent, prompting the WNBA’s June 24 review of Alyssa Thomas’s flagrant-2 strike and her subsequent suspension.

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Story summary

The WNBA upgraded a missed call to a Flagrant-2 foul and suspended forward Alyssa Thomas.
Thomas was suspended after her fist struck Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark’s throat in Indianapolis on June 24, causing Clark to miss the June 27 game.
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White called the play a “cheap shot,” demanded consistent officiating, and president Kelly Krauskopf thanked the league for its review.

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